Pulling children out of school...

[monkeytennis97]

In March schools started closing as parents pulled their kids out in droves and teachers and kids went off sick or isolating. Given the much higher numbers today and sadly the near 600 deaths yesterday is anyone thinking of doing this? Schools are on their knees in so many ways at the moment. I'm a secondary teacher and really think rota learning should come in now (for secondaries) to minimize numbers in schools to keep them as open as possible until Christmas. Will parents start pulling kids out again? I am only talking in respect to secondary schools.

New guidance states that in areas of ongoing very high case load after this lockdown, there will be part time rotas in place.

I don't think people realise that the whole school might have to close completely for two weeks or more and only partially reopen if staff are available to safely manage it. No key worker option available. I'm starting to loose count of schools I personally know that this has happened to locally.

And it IS the luck of the draw along with layout.

So partial rotas need to be well managed in some areas to enable the school to educate and serve the community needs well.

Well since kids wont get the vaccine I really dont see why they are been to strict. Stay at school!

Don't be silly, they don't matter. So long as there's enough left to provide hyperbolistic's dc with an education.

And obviously younger teachers are cheaper....

The Comp my dd is going to are doing 3 lessons per day so each subject is a double to reduce footfall as well as staggered finish times for the kids to move. Apparently its better and will stay like this in the long term

The schools didn’t close in March because parents were pulling them out in droves or of sick/isolation

The government closed them to slow the spread and ‘protect the NHS’

If you was a real teacher you’d remember that.

@Codexdivinchi

The schools didn’t close in March because parents were pulling them out in droves or of sick/isolation

The government closed them to slow the spread and ‘protect the NHS’

If you was a real teacher you’d remember that.

I am a real teacher and witnessed it with my own eyes thank you.

@Codexdivinchi schools were shutting year groups aplenty in the week prior to the official late lockdown

The schools didn’t close in March because parents were pulling them out in droves or of sick/isolation confused

The government closed them to slow the spread and ‘protect the NHS’

If you was a real teacher you’d remember that.

How rude.

Parents were actually very worried and as there was very little guidance for vulnerable people at that time lots of parents removed their children and lots of staff were off who felt themselves vulnerable. Never mind those who were actually ill. It was an awful week leading up to schools closing in my experience.

It has to be down to the individual school.
Our household covers 4 schools. One has had no cases, one has had one, and up until this week the other 2 had had one case each. So 3 cases spanning 4 schools - 3 secondaries (approx 1000 students each) and 1 primary (approx 400 students).
Nope not on our knees at all. I'm sure it will come, especially as there have been 6 cases this week between 2 of the secondaries, but any policies cannot be blanket ones.

@Codexdivinchi

The schools didn’t close in March because parents were pulling them out in droves or of sick/isolation

The government closed them to slow the spread and ‘protect the NHS’

If you was a real teacher you’d remember that.

Some people really do just live in their own little worlds don’t they and just love to gaslight others.

Parents were taking their children out in the two week run up to the first lockdown on 23rd March (mostly Secondary but not all) and teachers were self isolating or testing positive in their droves so the teachers and support staff left to pick everything else up and were on their knees. Many schools had to prematurely close as a result. It’s all fact!

What is it with posters (lots on this thread) gaslighting people’s genuine experiences? It doesn’t matter if your school is running as normal (and most probably it won’t be-teachers and school staff are very good at doing the best they can and not worry parents if they can help it, so as to keep attendance up).
You should be acknowledging that there are a great many schools hugely struggling and with them, an enormous number of children and young people who need your help-not your dismissive ‘I’m alright Jack’ attitudes.

Get writing to those MPs and ask for measures/funding to help those children who need it. They need you to be up in arms about it just like you were the free school meals debacle.

I think the area of the country makes a big difference. I am in rural SW. I have a DC at secondary school, there have been 2 cases (or maybe 3?) since Sept out of 1500 children. I would much rather our school stayed open but would be okay with a part time rota system - in fact I don’t understand why this hasn’t been used before as a way to reduce transmission.

We’ve been very lucky with dds school despite us being in a high risk area. It’s a girls prep school and we’ve not had a burst bubble yet - neither has the boys prep across the road.

The school are very strict on when parents are approaching the school they must wear a mask. There are signs every where

Children have to anti bac their hands on entry to the school and when leaving

Staggered drop off and pick ups over an hour

Only one parent at pick up

Parents must not talk in groups and must stand away from each other.

If your child has forgotten something parents are not allowed to bring it in.

No parents allowed in school even going to school office.

Each child leaves the class line separately at home time to the waiting parent and the parent must walk the designated way away.

Lots of the school kids wear face shields during the day.

Children from other classes are not allowed to play with each other whilst queuing to get in school.

We’ve just had a letter reminding us play date are not allowed regardless of our ‘beliefs’

PITA but it seems to be working.

The school I teach in currently has all of year 11 off. Half of year 10 are t in as have been in contact with a positive case.

A bubble of year 7 and a bubble in year 8 of plus about a third of year 9.

We also have about 15 members of staff off - my year 8 class yesterday were telling me how I was the only 'real' teacher they'd had all day ( out of 5 lessons 4 of them had been covered by supply staff)

If we make it to Christmas with out having to go to rota teaching I'd be very surprised.

Comparison of a private prep school to a large state secondary is surely apples and oranges?

ChloeDecker my independent was the the first ones to close as our kids were the ones who went skiing. We closed for a week to ‘deep clean’ then we were back open till the government said we had to close.

So no gas lighting - just lived experience!

@borageforager

Comparison of a private prep school to a large state secondary is surely apples and oranges?

Oh is this a ‘let’s close secondary schools and keep junior schools open’ thread? Wasn’t aware sorry!

@LauraBassi ? I don't think that was what was meant in that quote at all.

Only one case in my DS very large primary and none whatsoever in my DDs large secondary. Both have a higher than average amount of BAME students (DS school around 75%). Both have very strict covid measures and are being managed admirably by both sets of staff.

There is no way I would pull either of them out of school unless it was law. Blended learning would not work or be possible for us (only one laptop) and they are both currently exactly where they need to be academically. My DS especially suffered emotionally through lockdown and had to have councilling to help him re-adjust.

Other parents can do as they please but they shouldn't expect teachers to do more work teaching kids removed from school by choice.

If parents are worried about infecting vunerable family members, keep them away. Its one Christmas that'll be 'ruined' but more people will be alive at the end of it and our DCs education will be intact. I know people put a lot of emotion/effort into this one day but we have to look at the bigger picture. Taking kids out of education to self-isolate for two weeks just to visit another household on one day seems ridiculous and bizarre to me but each to their own I guess.

So no gas lighting - just lived experience

Your experience yes but no one is here telling you it’s incorrect because it’s not theirs.

We were down to three children in some classes (out of 30)in that last week before full lockdown in March. Parents were pulling their children out. And we had to close to two year groups, too, as we were down on teaching staff by 25%.

borageforager yes completely agree it is mainly down to area. And it completely makes sense for your schools to stay open. Let’s hope it stays that way.

I took my kids out in March bc it all seemed new and scary. But I won't be pulling them out this time. Our school has had only a few cases and it has all been carefully managed. I'm more worried about them falling even more behind - I was terrible as a home school teacher

No because there’s been very few cases in our school and none have been identified as coming from the school (ie parents having it and children catching it but it not spreading in the school ). Sorry but it’s ridiculous to suggest all schools go to a Rota system As the situation isn’t the same across the country. Also what would happen to all these kids that are out if school many will be left to fend for themselves whilst their parents are at work.

I pulled my kids out early in March. My son has type one diabetes and people with diabetes were being urged to stringently socially isolate (ahead of the lockdown) so it didn't make sense for him to go into school. Data since then has shown that whilst he's at higher risk than children his age without medical conditions, his absolute risk is low. I know that other parents with children with conditions like asthma felt the same. I also recognise that now we are in it for the long haul, and it wouldn't be a question of just pulling them out for a couple weeks until the worst is over.

Hell no! Didn't pull them out in March, dont believe they needed to be closed for as long as they were, sent the youngest back in June when they were eligible.
I believe missed education is more detrimental to them than covid could be.